Bridge and Pick-up Covers on Precision Bass

[abstamaria]

Rather than hi-jack the interesting, related thread on damping strings, I thought I would open this one solely on the topic.

What I know: Precision basses, when they came from the factory in the late 1950s and early 1960s, had metal covers over the bridge and pick-ups - the two shiny gold pieces over the strings seen in this photo. Turned upside down, they looked like ashtrays, which is what they were often called. Most guitarists removed the covers because they limited access to the strings, and Fender in later years, yielding to the market, deleted the covers.

But did our hero bass guitarists from the period - Jet Harris of the Shadows and Nokie Edwards of the Ventures – record their greatest hits with the covers on? Did they remove them at some point, and if so when? When did Fender delete the covers?

[abstamaria]

We know Jet had them on his sunburst Precision Bass. Presunably "Apache" was recorded with those covers on.

[cockroach]

Hi Andy

I would think most players who owned and played these basses back then left them as they were when they bought them.

It was probably thought that these fittings were designed and fitted there for a reason- which to some extent, they were. The pickup cover allowed a hand/arm rest without muffling/touching the strings, and the bridge 'ashtray' kept dust etc out of the bridge saddles etc and also included the string damper pad inside.

The fad for modifying standard guitars and basses didn't really start until the mid-late '60's...different music styles and playing styles led to people experimenting- remember the fad for taking the covers off humbucking guitar pickups? And the bridge cover/mute didn't help the new twangy bass sound and bass solos challenging the lead guitar...so people removed them..

[Iain Purdon]

I don't know much about Jet's use of instruments in the studio. However the Fiesta Red one he was given with the Shads certainly had its ashtray, and still did when Licorice inherited it. However the felt damper had been removed. The succeeding White P-bass also had its ashtray throughout.

Lic's own P-bass, which he used on Dance On for example, had its ashtray then and still does to this day.

[MMStingray54]

They certainly came with them right into the 70s, although the 'tug' bar got moved to the position above the strings in the mid 70s for finger style players (which many bassists were by then) to plant their thumb. Pity that this happened just when R and B players were just starting to develop slap bass on electric - and the relocated rest was right in the way!

I think the covers had a practical purpose - to prevent players from playing directly over the pick ups and risk the strings contacting the pick up poles resulting in clicking and clattering sounds - the bridge one on the Precision possibly to house the damper but also to cover the sharper areas around the bridge - they also add to the aesthetics in my opinion (although I suspect I wouldn't have said that back in 1970).

Looking at bass players in the late 60s and early 70s, many played directly over the pick up to get a more powerful sound, and the ash trays got removed possibly to facilitate this - and the tug bars were often removed as well - and the screws would be put back into the vacant holes.

I have to confess that I never understood the point of the tug bar - in fact I simply didn't understand why it was there - I first got interested in basses around 1969/70 so the thumb method of playing had long ceased to be a regular style then.

I'm not sure if anyone else shares these views - but in my defence I didn't get into basses until 1969/70 so had somewhat missed the 60s................. love these bits of info about the Shadows bass players, guys.

[abstamaria]

Thank you, all. It seems the covers remained on then, probably all the way to the Burns era.

I didn't pay attention before, but here are the covers on the red PBass in this well-known photo.

Andy

[abstamaria]

And the Ventures kept their covers on as well, apparently!

[RayL]

Who is the guy with the tenor sax in the Ventures picture?

Ray

[John Boyd]

The sax player is Don Markham who toured occasionally with The Ventures in the early days. He wrote 'The Shuck' for the group's second LP. When the novelty of touring with the Ventures wore off,Markham return to Bakersfield, California and joined up with Buck Owens and also formed the 'Bakersfield Brass'.
In the later 60's he played with various San Francisco groups including Sly and the Family Stone. In the early 70's Markham played with Johnny Paycheck before joining Merle Haggard and The Strangers. Thirty years later he was still blowing his trumpet and sax with this group.
Cheers,
JB

[cockroach]

Regarding the finger/thumb rest, one of first bass players (and probably the first jazz player) to use the Precision in the early '50's was Monk Montgomery (Wes's brother)

Monk played with his thumb, like his brother also did on guitar, and Mort sort of braced his fingers on the rest when the rest was located below the strings.